Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Vespers
began at 5 PM Rome Time in St Peter’s Basilica, with Pope Francis
presiding over the prayers that constitute the Church’s official, public
praise of God in the evening of the last day of the year, to be
followed by the singing of the great hymn of gratitude in faith, the Te
Deum, and the worship of the Blessed Sacrament before the giving of the
blessing of the Eucharistic Lord.

In his homily, Pope Francis
focused on the sense of history that permeates the life of those whose
lives are signed by faith in Jesus Christ. “The biblical and Christian
vision of time and history,” he said, “is not cyclical, but linear: it
is a path that leads towards a conclusion.” He explained that the
passing year does not represent an end in itself, but a step on the way
towards a reality that is to be completed – another step toward the goal
that lies ahead of us: a place of hope and happiness, because we will
meet God, the Reason of our hope and Source of our joy.Pope
Francis went on to say that, as the year 2013 comes to an end, we
collect, as in a basket, the days, the weeks, the months that we have
lived, to offer everything to the Lord.Pope Francis concluded,
inviting everyone to look toward the new year, in a spirit of gratitude
for that, which we have received, repentance for that, in which we have
failed, and resolve to work with God’s grace to better our lives, our
communities and ourselves.

Pope
Francis presides the traditional year-end Vespers and the singing of
the Te Deum hymn on Tuesday in thanksgiving for gifts received over the
past year.

The solemn celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica began at
5:00 p.m. Rome time.The Te Deum is a hymn of praise that dates
from early Christian times.

In Latin, the hymn’s words: “Te Deum
laudamus” can be translated "Thee, O God, we praise".The
ceremony will be Pope Francis’ last official event of the year 2013 and
his first celebration as Pontiff of Vespers for the Solemnity of the
Mother of God, to whom the New Year is dedicated.

The event will be
webcast live on Vatican Radio. After the evening Vespers, the
Pope will make a brief visit to the life-sized Nativity scene below the
obelisk in the center of St. Peter’s Square. This year’s scene, entitled
“Francis 1223- Francis 2013” recalls the very first Nativity scene
created 790 years ago by St. Francis of Assisi, Pope Francis’ namesake.

The scene in St. Peter’s square this year was crafted by artisans from
the southern Italian city of Naples, famous for its traditional
Christmas displays.On Wednesday January 1st in St.
Peter’s Basilica, the Holy Father will preside a morning liturgy marking
the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

Following the mass, at noon,
Pope Francis will greet the faithful in St. Peter’s Square and together
with them pray the Angelus.

Pope Francis has sent a message offering consolation and hope to
families of the victims of the 2004 Cromañón nightclub fire that claimed
the lives of 194 young people in Buenos Aires.

The Pope’s message,
addressed to Bishop Jorge Lozano, President of the Argentinian Bishops’
Commission for Social Pastoral activities, was read out at the Cathedral
of Buenos Aires on Monday, during a special liturgy presided by the
Archbishop of the Argentinian capital, Msgr Mario Poli, marking the 9th anniversary of that tragic event December 30th.When the fire ravished the local nightclub in 2004, Pope Francis, then Jorge Bergoglio, was Archbishop of Buenos Aires.In
his message, Pope Francis said, “In these days in which hope is
renewed, I cannot forget the young people of Cromañón, their parents and
relatives.”He asked Bishop Lozano to tell them that he recalls
that terrible day and wishes to express his closeness with them.

“The
wounds hurt and they hurt even more when they are not treated with
tenderness,” the Pope wrote. He encouraged the families to treat their
wounds with “care and tenderness” and look to the “Child Jesus who is
tenderness itself,” for comfort.The Pope acknowledged that it is
not possible to “hide” their wounds, but at the same time they should
not be “denied.” “Only a tender caress, from our heart, in silence,
with respect, can give comfort.”Wishing them a Holy Christmas,
the Holy Father invoked the Lord’s all-encompassing compassion as father
“to teach us all not remain alone and to continue on, seeking out the
company” of others.

2013
has been a remarkable year for the Vatican, beginning with the surprise
resignation of Pope Benedict, which was followed by the election of
Francis, the first Pope from Latin America and the first Jesuit one.

Since then, the new Pope has won fans among Catholics and non-Catholics
alike with his simplicity, his sincerity and his message of mercy and
inclusiveness.

The impact of his papal ministry has been dubbed “the
Francis effect” with polls showing that the Pope is one of the most
popular figures on the planet and the most talked-about name on the
Internet.

Monsignor John Kennedy is an official at the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith and together with Susy Hodges he reviews
the past year in the Vatican.Monsignor
Kennedy agrees that 2013 was a fascinating year in the Vatican and pays
tribute to Pope Francis’ ability to “preach the gospel in a new and a
very exciting way.” As a result of this, he points to how figures show
that the new Pope has helped persuade a lot of Catholics to return to
the Church and the celebration of the Sacraments. “He has made a lot
of people return to their faith in a new way… there’s a lot more people
present at Mass.” Monsignor Kennedy goes on to describe Pope
Francis as “a great leader who seems to be one of us, who’s inviting us
to be like him as we strive to follow the gospel more radically and more
freely and in a more generous way.” When asked what he sees as
the highlights of the Pope’s words and deeds during 2013, Monsignor
Kennedy singles out the “recurring theme of reconciliation” preached by
Francis during his many homilies and audiences. He also mentions the
Pope’s stated intention of wanting to reform the Church and the Roman
Curia, making it “more open, more accountable.”But has Pope
Francis aroused too many unrealistic expectations among the faithful and
can they ever be fulfilled? Monsignor Kennedy expresses “optimism” on
that score, especially because as he says, “the Pope is a realistic
man.” “Pope Francis is setting a new tone now, a fresh standard for
people and that’s the standard by which future Popes are going to be
measured.” “He is changing lives in an internal and external way.” Finally,
just as Pope Francis “gave us one surprise after another” in 2013,
Kennedy predicts there will be plenty more surprises in the coming year:
“There will be more courageous gestures, more of his “free-styling”,
more of his reaching out.”

Monday, December 30, 2013

Pope
Francis has appointed Nunzio Galantino, Bishop of Cassano allo Jonio in
Italy’s Southern Calabria region, as interim Secretary General of the
Italian Bishops' Conference (CEI).The Head of the Vatican Press
Office, Father Federico Lombardi, said that Bishop Galantino will serve
as interim Secretary General to replace Mariano Crociata who was named
Bishop of Latina after two mandates at CEI.Lombardi explained
that the interim appointment was "rendered urgent for the regular work
schedule of the general secretariat and for a number of procedures that
require his presence."He added that the duration of the mandate
has not yet been decided. Lombardi also explained that Galantino will
have to reside in Rome for part of the week but he remains Bishop of
Cassano allo Jonio.In a letter addressed to the priests and
people of that diocese, Pope Francis expresses his awareness that he has
partially deprived them of the presence of their beloved bishop, and he
asks for help and comprehension as Galantino – he says - is called to
serve “in an important mission for the Church in Italy”. Nunzio Galantino was born in the Southern town of Cerignola near Foggia in 1948 and was appointed bishop in December 2011.

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Pope
Francis on Sunday turned his attention to the dramatic predicament of
migrants and refugees who not always find a welcome, but often become
victims of human trafficking and slave labour.Speaking to the
pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Sunday Angelus, the Pope
said that on this first Sunday after Christmas, the liturgy invites us
to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. He said that the
Gospel narrates the Holy Family’s painful exile as it searched for
refuge in Egypt and said that Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived the dramatic
condition of refugees, “marked by fear, uncertainty and difficulties”.Unfortunately
today – Pope Francis said – millions of families face this same sad
reality. Almost every day the television and the newspapers offer news
reports about refugees that “flee hunger, war and other grave dangers,
and go in search of security and a dignified life for themselves and
their families”.And Pope Francis continued pointing out that in
far away lands, even when they find work, “not always do refugees and
immigrants find a true welcome, respect, and appreciation for the value
that they bring. Their legitimate aspirations clash with complex
situations and difficulties that sometimes appear unsurmountable”.So
– the Pope said – as we fix our gaze on the Holy Family of Nazareth in
that time when it was forced into exile, “let us think of the drama of
those migrants and refugees who are victims of rejection and
exploitation, who are victims of human trafficking and slave labour”.Pope
Francis went on to say: “let us also think of those other exiles – I
would call them ‘the hidden exiles’ who may be marginalized within their
own families – the elderly for example who sometimes are treated like
burdens”.The Pope concluded his address pointing out that Jesus
wanted to be part of such a family and be faced with these difficulties
so that no one may feel excluded from God’s loving closeness.The
Holy Familiy’s escape to Egypt – he said – shows us that God is there
where man is in danger, where man suffers, where he flees, where he is
faced with rejection and abandon. But – he continued – God is also there
where man has a dream and hopes to return to his homeland and to
freedom, where he has a plan for his dignity and for the dignity of his
family.Finally, praying for families across the world, Pope
Francis reminded those present that there are three key words to live in
peace and joy within the family: “may I?” , “thank you”, and “sorry” –
words that help lay the foundations of love, reconciliation, tenderness
and mutual help and forgiveness.After the recitation of the
Angelus prayer, Pope Francis turned his attention to the upcoming
Concistory and to the next Synod of Bishops which will focus on the
theme of the family: He asked the faithful to pray with him for the work
of the Bishops and for families throughout the world.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Pope
Francis issued a message through his Secretary of State, Archbishop
Pietro Parolin, to the 25,000 young adults participating at the 36th
annual European encounter of the Taizé community.

The meeting begins on
Saturday and this year is being held in Strasbourg, France. In
the message, Archbishop Parolin spoke of the closeness the Pope feels to
the young adults gathered for the meeting. He spoke of the region as “a
land lacerated by wars, which had innumerable victims, but a land that
also brings great hope, that of the building of the European family”.“Europe, which has lived and continues to live difficult moments, needs your commitment, your faith, your courage,” he wrote.Addressing
the theme of the gathering—“Seek the visible communion of all those who
love Christ”—he recognized that the young adults “are aware that the
division among Christians constitutes an huge obstacle for the
realization of the mission that was entrusted to the Church” and that
the credibility of the Christian message would be much greater if
Christians could overcome their divisions. “The Pope shares with
you the conviction that we can learn many things from each other, for
the realities that unite us are numerous,” he continued. “The Pope is
counting on you so that through your faith and witness, the Gospel
spirit of peace and reconciliation shines among your peers.” He
then conveyed that the Pope gives the young people, the Taizé brothers,
the pastors and all of the hosts of the meeting his benediction.

Friday, December 27, 2013

Pope Francis may have been named Time magazine's Person of the Year,
but he has come under scathing criticism from a growing number of
traditionalist Catholics for cracking down on a religious order that
celebrates the old Latin Mass.

The case has become a flashpoint in the
ideological tug-of-war going on in the Catholic Church over Francis'
revolutionary agenda, which has thrilled progressives and alarmed some
conservatives.

The matter concerns the Franciscan Friars of the
Immaculate, a small but growing order of several hundred priests,
seminarians and nuns that was founded in Italy in 1990 as an offshoot of
the larger Franciscan order of the pope's namesake, St. Francis of
Assisi.

Then-Pope Benedict XVI launched an investigation into the
congregation after five of its priests complained that the order was
taking on an overly traditionalist bent, with the old Latin Mass being
celebrated more and more at the expense of the liturgy in the
vernacular.

Benedict, a great admirer of the pre-Vatican II Mass, had relaxed restrictions on celebrating the old Latin Mass in 2007.

While
the order was in turmoil over this liturgical issue, the dispute at its
core comes down to differing interpretations of the modernizing reforms
of the Second Vatican Council, which include the use of local languages
in Mass that some considered a break with the church's tradition.

The
Vatican in July named the Rev. Fidenzio Volpi, a Franciscan Capuchin
friar, as a special commissioner to run the order with a mandate to
quell the dissent that had erupted over the liturgy, improve unity
within its ranks and get a handle on its finances.

In the same decree
appointing Volpi, Francis forbade the friars from celebrating the old
Latin Mass unless they got special permission, a clear rollback from
Benedict's 2007 decision.

In the weeks that followed,
traditionalists voiced outrage: four tradition-minded Italian
intellectuals wrote to the Vatican accusing it of violating Benedict's
2007 edict by restricting the Latin Mass for the friars, saying the Holy
See was imposing "unjust discrimination" against those who celebrate
the ancient rite.

Volpi though was undeterred: He sent their
founder, the Rev. Stefano Maria Manelli, to live in a religious home
while he set about turning the order around.

And on Dec. 8, he
took action, issuing a series of sanctions in the name of the pope that
have stunned observers for their seeming severity: He closed the friars'
seminary and sent its students to other religious universities in Rome.

He suspended the activities of the friars' lay movement. He suspended
ordinations of new priests for a year and required future priests to
formally accept the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and its new
liturgy or be kicked out.

And he decreed that current priests must
commit themselves in writing to following the existing mission of the
order.

In a letter detailing the new measures, Volpi accused
friars loyal to Manelli of seeking to undermine him and accused some of
embezzlement. He denounced a cult of personality that had grown around
Manelli, saying it "reveals a great spiritual poverty and psychological
dependence that is incompatible with" the life in a religious community.

The
sanctions seem harsh when compared to recent actions taken by the
Vatican against other much larger religious orders or groups found to
have doctrinal or other problems, such as the Holy See's crackdown on
social justice-minded American nuns or the Vatican's reform efforts of
the disgraced Legion of Christ.

In both cases, a papal envoy was named
to rewrite constitutions or statutes and oversee reforms, but Volpi's
actions with the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate would appear to go
much further.

Traditionalists have charged that a double standard
is at play, with a conservative, tradition-minded order being targeted
for particular sanction on ideological grounds by a pope with a
progressive bent.

"I hope that I am not being intemperate in
describing this as rather harsh," the Rev. Timothy Finigan, a British
priest whose "The Hermeneutic of Continuity" blog is much-read in
traditionalist circles, wrote last week of the sanctions.

Francis
has called Benedict's 2007 decree allowing wider use of the Latin Mass
"prudent," but has warned that it risks being exploited on ideological
grounds by factions in the church; Francis has made clear his disdain
for traditionalist Catholics, saying they are self-absorbed retrogrades
who aren't helping the church's mission to evangelize.

For some,
the issue is purely ideological. Christopher Ferrara, a columnist for
The Remant, a traditionalist biweekly newspaper in the United States,
said Volpi's aim was to make the order conform to the more progressive
ideology of other religious orders like Volpi's own Capuchins, which he
noted are dwindling in numbers while more conservative, tradition-minded
orders like the Franciscan Friars are growing.

"Traditionalism
isn't an ideology, it's holding fast to everything that has been handed
down," Ferrara said in a telephone interview.

A group of
tradition-minded lay Catholics has launched an online petition seeking
Volpi's ouster, but it's not clear how many signatories have signed on;
an email seeking figures wasn't returned Saturday.

The Vatican
spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, defended Volpi as a sage,
esteemed and experienced administrator and dismissed calls for his
removal.

"He knows religious life well, was for many years head of
the Italian conference of religious superiors and I think his
nomination was a wise choice," Lombardi said in an email to The
Associated Press.

"While the situation seems difficult and painful, it
appears the letter is yet another demonstration that the naming of a
commissioner was necessary and that he knows what to do with the powers
he has.

"I don't have any reason to doubt it," Lombardi concluded.

The
Rev. Robert Gahl, a moral theologian at the Opus Dei-run Pontifical
Holy Cross University, said he was certain that the pope wasn't opposed
to the old Latin Mass and was not aiming to combat it by restricting its
celebration with the Friars.

He said Francis appeared to be taking the
measures to quell the internal conflicts that arose over its
celebration, and then took other measures after financial irregularities
occurred.

"Liturgy is always a surprisingly sensitive topic," he
said. "It can be extremely controversial and can upset communities even
when the substance of the disagreement is minuscule. So, I think Francis
is pushing for community peace and unity which may entail a temporary
reduction in some use" of the old Latin Mass.

"I'm certain that
Francis wants unity in Christ and to put a stop to the back-biting
between ideological groups in the church, also by those who ideologize
the liturgy," he said.

Apparently,
about 30 current and former Vatican Bank accounts have been identified
as suspect including accounts controlled by the Franciscan Order and
various Croatian Dioceses.

On December 4, 2013, the Vatican
Financial Authority reached a bilateral agreement with the German
Federal Criminal Police Office pledging cooperation on anti money
laundering following a previous agreement with the Dutch Financial
Intelligence Unit.

Ironically, Germany
and Holland have taken significant measures to deal with assets looted
during the Second World War which continue to surface as in the recent
case of over a billion dollars of Nazi looted artworks recovered in
Munich last year.

Dr.
Jonathan Levy, the attorney for several thousand claimants, Holocaust
victims, their heirs, and organizations, has criticized the Vatican
Financial Authority and its Director Rene Bruelhart: “Mr. Bruelhart and
his immediate superior Cardinal Nicora are the ultimate insiders. They
claim to be auditing accounts at the Vatican Bank but do not have the
decency to respond to our repeated requests. From my point of view, they
are continuing the ongoing Vatican cover up.”

Dr.
Levy also noted that his firm’s investigations and ensuing litigation
which commenced in 1998 has uncovered a Vatican Bank connection to
looted assets from other countries including Germany, Austria, Slovakia,
Hungary, and Romania. Levy explained, “After World War Two, there was a
pressing need to move assets from Soviet occupied lands as the Iron
Curtain descended on eastern Europe; changing these assets into Church
property and depositing it at the Vatican Bank was an effective method
however these assets often were commingled with property looted by the
Nazis and Axis regimes in Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Croatia.”

The
funds at stake were derived from the Ustasha Treasury, consisting of
gold and valuables looted from Yugoslavia during the Second World War
and deposited at the Vatican Bank in 1946 and never accounted for,
according to the statement from Brimstone & Co.

Levy has lodged a complaint with both the Dutch Financial
Intelligence Unit and German Bundeskriminalamt following an unsuccessful
three year effort to move the European Commission to investigate the
Vatican Bank.

The Vatican bank, the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), is
systematically closing the accounts of lay people who are not directly
connected with the Holy See, the Vatican Insider reports.

As part of a thorough reform, the IOR is tightening controls on
account-holders.

The IOR will only hold accounts for Catholic
institutions and religious orders, clerics, employees and former
employees of the Vatican, and diplomats accredited to the Holy See.

The
bank is now closing the accounts of all clients who do not fall into one
of those categories.

The IOR has been working steadily to counter complaints that the bank
had been vulnerable to money-laundering.

But in closing accounts, IOR
officials said that they did not mean to suggest that the
account-holders were under suspicion.

Rather, the bank is pursuing a
series of reforms intended to ensure that the institution is focused on
the original purpose for which it was founded, to provide support for
religious works, rather than to function as an ordinary bank.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

News headlines in 2013 about
turmoil at the Vatican bank and an arrested monsignor who served as a
Vatican accountant seem to be modern-day illustrations of a famous line
from the First Letter of Timothy in the New Testament: "For the love of
money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it
have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many
pains."But from his office near the Vatican gas station, a young Swiss lawyer
is working to prevent the greedy or corrupt from misusing the Vatican's
financial structures, which serve its own operations and those of
dioceses, schools, hospitals and charitable activities around the world.Rene Brulhart, 41, is director of the Vatican's Financial Intelligence
Authority, charged with establishing procedures and checks to ensure
Vatican institutions cannot be used for money laundering or the
financing of terrorism. He also investigates suspicious transactions and
works internationally with other government financial-intelligence
units to fight financial crime.

Pope Francis has appointed special commissions to look into specific
aspects of the Vatican's finances and budget process, as well as the
Vatican bank, formally called the Institute for the Works of Religion.
Those commissions are still meeting and Pope Francis has said the
results of their work are not foregone conclusions.But Vatican City State is an independent country, and the Holy See
serves a global community of more than 1 billion Catholics. With or
without the so-called Vatican bank, money will change hands, and
Brulhart's job is to help ensure those hands are clean.The Vatican is unique in its financial sector, in that the 109-acre
state has no commercial banking operations, so "it makes sense to come
up with a tailor-made system," Brulhart said."It's a different environment in a positive sense," he said. "It's an
environment built on trust and respectful interactions, which makes it
different from an ordinary commercial activity."Brulhart was working for a law firm when the government of Liechtenstein
hired him in 2001 to help establish an anti-money laundering system,
after the country briefly appeared on the international Financial Action
Task Force's black list.The Vatican, he points out, is not now and has never been on the FATF's black list.Under Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican hired Brulhart as a consultant on
combating money laundering and terrorism financing, before the pope
appointed him director of the Financial Intelligence Authority.Novelists and filmmakers paint a shady image of Vatican financial
dealings, but "the facts are telling another story," Brulhart said.In 2010, the Vatican began drawing up new finance laws, regulations and
criminal penalties in compliance with international standards against
money laundering and the financing of criminal and terrorist networks.
The Vatican later requested an evaluation of its efforts by "Moneyval"
-- the Council of Europe's Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of
Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism.The latest Moneyval review, published Dec. 12, praised the new laws and
procedures, as well as new norms strengthening Brulhart's office. It
also praised the Vatican bank's review of its accounts and clients,
which Brulhart said was conducted in coordination with his office.Moneyval urged the Financial Intelligence Authority to expedite onsite
inspections of the so-called Vatican bank and the Administration of the
Patrimony of the Holy See. Brulhart said the inspection of the Institute
for the Works of Religion is scheduled for January.Day-to-day, he said, his office reviews reports of suspicious
transactions, while working to improve international cooperation and
tighten supervision of Vatican financial transactions."The legal and institutional frameworks have been established," he said;
now it is time to make sure the procedures come to be seen as
absolutely normal operating procedures. "It's a building process now."In its December report to Moneyval, the Vatican said 105 "suspicious
transaction reports" had been filed with Brulhart's office in 2013. "A
suspicious action report indicates suspicious behavior and not, per se,
criminal activity," he said, arguing that the growing number of reports
shows Vatican institutions are paying greater attention to financial
transactions and noticing when something appears out of the ordinary."The preventive approach is very important," Brulhart said. "Ultimately,
what we're aiming for is to have an early warning system."

More than two million people have flocked to Pope Francis' general
audiences in St Peter's Square since his election in March, four times
the number that Pope Benedict drew in all of 2012.

The Vatican said it had issued 1,548,500 tickets for the 30
Wednesday general audiences Francis has held since his election on March
13 as the first non-European pope in 1300 years.But it said the actual number was "much larger" because no
tickets are needed for the rear section of the square and surrounding
streets, which accommodate overflow. That area, which fits at least
20,000, is regularly filled during Francis' audiences.

The Vatican did not issue comparative figures but figures
released on January 4 showed that 447,000 tickets were issued for the 43
general audiences held by former Pope Benedict in all of 2012.

The pope, who was recently named Time Magazine Person
of the Year, has drawn people to the Vatican because of his outgoing,
simple and friendly style. Benedict was more reserved and far less
spontaneous.

Francis has forsaken many of the trappings used by his predecessors.He has given up the spacious papal apartments in the
Apostolic Palace for a small apartment in a guest house and is driven in
a regular car instead of the papal limousine.Francis has also proven to be hugely popular because of his
statements urging the Church to be closer to the poor and to be more
merciful and less condemning.The crowds at Francis' general audiences have often topped
100,000, forcing police to close off the main boulevard leading to the
Vatican to accommodate more people.

Benedict is living in a former convent on
the Vatican grounds and has the title Pope Emeritus.Tickets to audiences and all other papal events are issued
for free by the Vatican's Prefecture of the Pontifical Household and
usually distributed through parishes and Church institutions.

The diocese of San Isidro publicly apologized for the actions of
Fr. Jose Mercau, a priest sentenced to 14 years in jail in 2006 for
sexually abusing of four children.

"The San Isidro diocesan community, and especially the bishop and
priests, publicly apologize to the young victims who were affected by
the conduct of a priest within our diocese, Father Jose Mercau, when he
was a priest at St. John the Baptist Church," said the document signed
by Bishop Oscar Ojea and read at diocesan Masses Dec. 14-15.The priest ran a group home for homeless and runaway youths and, in his 2005 trial, admitted he abused the boys.The document said the "trauma that sexual abuse caused in the future
of these children and young men cannot be measured. ... The conduct of
the abuser also hurts Christ and undermines the community's confidence."Local media have reported that the diocese is willing to pay
reparation to the four youths and to do so may have to sell some church
property.

The document said that, with this gesture, the diocese hoped to
promote a "culture of taking care of our children and youth," as
requested by Pope Francis on numerous occasions.Pope Francis has publicly spoken against abuses being committed by
priests and has indicated his willingness to fight clergy sexual abuse.

Pope Francis has strongly encouraged the bishops and cardinals of the
Roman Curia to spend time hearing confessions weekly at a local parish,
according to a priest of the church in question, Santo Spirito in
Sassia.
The announcement was made at the end of evening Mass on Dec. 15 by Fr.
Jozef Bart, a parish priest at Santo Spirito in Sassia, and was reported
by “Inside the Vatican.”
Fr. Bart announced that the initiative “had been planned to begin in
January, but this week, word came down that the Pope wished to begin
immediately.”
According to Fr. Bart, Pope Francis is doing this because “he wishes to
emphasize the importance of Confession, and of God’s great goodness in
forgiving human sin.”
Archbishop Konrad Krajewski, the papal almoner, has already been hearing
Confessions at the parish for “several weeks,” according to “Inside the
Vatican.”
Santo Spirito in Sassia is located on the Via dei Penitenzieri, a walk
of about 1,300 feet, or 5-6 minutes, from the front of St. Peter's
Square, and is dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion. It is a cardinal
titular church, currently held by Cardinal-Priest Fiorenzo Angelini.
Pope Francis has several times underscored the importance of the
Confession for Christian life, especially during the homilies he gives
during Mass at the Saint Martha House chapel.
On Oct. 25, Pope Francis preached that “confessing our sins is not going
to a psychiatrist, or to a torture chamber: it’s saying to the Lord,
‘Lord, I am a sinner,’ but saying it through the brother, because this
says it concretely. ‘I am sinner because of this, that and the other
thing’.”
Pope Francis often affirms that he himself is a sinner, and has made it known that he goes to Confession every two weeks.
According to a Vatican source who spoke to CNA Dec. 13, Pope Francis wanted to make it clear that he confesses.
The source recounted that during his trip to Brazil for the World Youth
Day, Pope Francis felt the need to confess, and asked for a confessor.
The confessor went to hear Pope Francis’ confession and, after the
confession, he told Pope Francis that he did not want to be noticed.
Pope Francis said, “You must be noticed, because it must be clear that the Pope himself goes to confession."

The Catholic Church must reach out to Catholics who are divorced and
remarried to let them know they are welcome even if they cannot receive
the sacraments, several theologians have noted.
Sean Innerst, theology department chair at Denver's St. John Vianney
Seminary, said he hopes to see “interesting and creative responses” to
help those who are divorced or divorced and remarried and believe
themselves to be outside of the Church.
“They might be in a life situation which means they can't receive
Communion, but that doesn't mean they can't darken the door of the
church,” he told CNA Nov. 5.
“It’s just inconsistent with the gospel for people to feel they’re
excluded because they’re in a situation that’s tragic and complicated
and they can’t currently sort out.”
“We need to have some pastoral responses to these situations where we
don’t simply allow people to drift away because they've made serious
mistakes, because the culture has led them in this direction,” Innerst
emphasized.
“We need to go out and find these people and help them to know they have a place in the Church.”
Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller – head of the Vatican's Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith – reaffirmed in an essay republished in
L'Osservatore Romano in October that Catholics in irregular marital
unions after divorce cannot receive Holy Communion. He underscored,
though, that it is “imperative” to show “pastoral concern” for them.
However, many Catholic bishops in Germany have said they intend to give
Holy Communion to divorced and remarried Catholics, despite Catholic
teaching.
The Archdiocese of Freiburg in October released a document saying that
divorced and remarried Catholics can receive Holy Communion if they can
show their first marriage cannot be reentered, if they repent of their
fault in a divorce and if they enter “a new moral responsibility” with
their new spouse.
That document drew a swift response from the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith, which said pastoral approaches must agree with
Church teaching.
Despite these rejections, Bishop Gebhard Fuerst of Stuttgart in November
told a meeting of the Central Committee of German Catholics that the
German bishops have drafted guidelines and aim to approve them at their
plenary meeting in March 2014.
Last week, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith member Cardinal
Walter Kasper told the German weekly Die Zeit that the divorced and
remarried will soon be able to receive the sacraments, the Italian news
site AGI reports.
Catholic teaching recognizes the indissolubility of Christian marriage,
allowing marriages for the divorced only if they can show the first
marriage was invalid according to canonical norms. Those in irregular
unions are admitted to Holy Communion only if they are living “as
brother and sister” with their partners.
Manfred Lütz, a German psychologist and theologian in Rome for the
Pontifical Council for the Laity's plenary meeting on “Proclaiming
Christ in the Digital Age,” said the Church’s dogmatic teaching on
divorced and remarried Catholics who have not received an annulment is
“clear” but the pastoral response is the question.
He told CNA Dec. 4 that in the Catholic Church in Germany lay people are
“not always very informed about the position of the Church” and believe
that the Church is “not merciful enough.” This is “a great problem” not
only in Germany but “all over the world.”
Innerst agreed that many Catholics do not know or understand Church teaching.
“I know some people who are divorced, and not remarried, and they think
they're formally excommunicated from the Church, but that's not the case
of course,” he said. “They feel that if you violate a rule, you no
longer belong.”
He noted that many people feel that Catholicism is “all about laws” and places the “law before love.”
While Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI had to establish
guidelines to correct laxity in the Church, Innerst said, Pope Francis
is working to stress that “God loves us first.”
“All Francis is saying is that we have to start loving people first, and then bring them to...the law.”
If others see Christians as “a source of God’s love” then Catholics can
“begin to talk, about conversion and changing people’s lives in accord
with natural and revealed law. Otherwise it’s a losing battle.”
Lütz said Pope Benedict XVI was also aware that the pastoral care for
divorced and remarried Catholics is poor. Catholics have to “see how we
live in the parish together with these people” so that they are “not
thrown out of the Church.”
He said it is “very important” to help these people and Pope Francis
aims to discuss this pastoral care at the October 2014 extraordinary
synod of bishops, which is dedicated to the pastoral care of families.
Innerst suggested that the divorced and remarried should refrain from
Communion and engage in prayer and penance “not as a punishment, but
just as a way of finding meaning in their currently tragic situation.”
This would be a way for them to wait “for the time when they can come
into conformity with Church teaching.” These are ways to respond
“without pretending that the Pope can change things that he can't.”
Pope Francis “can't erase the marriage bond” but he can change the Church's approach given that the status quo is “not working.”
Innerst suggested that the Pope's request for input from the Church
around the world is an effort to find a good pastoral response for
divorced and remarried Catholics, rather than a way to “pretend that
they're not divorced.”
Lütz said the Catholic Church in Germany or an individual diocese cannot
decide these responses alone. Rather, this response has to be decided
“worldwide.”
He noted that many young Catholics in Germany place the “highest value” on being “faithful” in marriage.
“So, young people hope that to marry will be forever. But when they are
asked if they think that they personally will succeed in this, they say
they do not think so. And this is really a little bit pessimistic view
of things.”